Apparatus for laterally registering sheets on the feed table of a sheet treatment machine, e.g. a printing press, is known in which two suction plates are arranged at a distance one from another at right angles to the feed direction, which can each be rotatably driven about an axis arranged perpendicular to the feed table. The surfaces of the plates are provided with suction openings which can be subjected to suction air, and the plates act to grasp the respective frontmost sheet of the sheet stream in the region of its edge and move it so that its side edge comes to lie against a side stop and/or its front edge comes to lie against a front stop.
In such types of apparatus it is known to drive the suction plates in the same rotational direction and to subject them to the same suction force. Since an absolutely equivalent running of the beginning, ending and speed of the turning movement of both suction plates, as well as absolutely even suction during the whole registration process, is not possible, or only possible with unacceptably high outlay, particularly with thin and large surface area sheets, bending, buckling and creasing arise and accordingly damage to the sheets arises during the registration process.